Fronttrunk

Thank the LORD I found this site. I have been reading a ton of threads (as google provides) and have recently joined. In reading I have decide that a 981BS 6MT is the car for me. My current DD is a wonderful truck that I love but need a little more excitement in my life. I had a E92 NA-V8 6MT BMW M3 that was a great car but bought that when I was looking at Pcars. I also love the new Miata RF but I know I won't be satisfied until the P-Crest is in the garage. Im looking to reduce miles on the truck (approx 25k/year) and have fun while doing it. I bought the M3 because of the backseat for youngster but now old enough to ride shotgun. So I really feel the best car for in town, no track, some-what DD, with the fun of a rag top is the 981 boxer S (Like the E92 I love a NA engine). That being said, are the PASM and/or the sport exhaust necessary? It seems hard enough to find a 981BS w/o pdf and a 6MT yet alone with these other options. I have located one 6MT w/o these, that is CPO. So additional question is does the CPO offset lack of options (less than 30k miles). Finally the CPO has 20" Carrera wheels, are these too harsh a ride? Thanks in advance for your willingness to assist a new Pcar owner.

Laszlo_Laz

IMO I think the sport chrono is a must have option. PSE can be done post purchase. Not really a deal breaker.

I just sold my BS (PDK) w/Sport Chrono and will miss it dearly. She’s being replaced with a new 718 Spyder on order. But even without PSE she was plenty loud and delivered an extremely focused driving experience.

I could have done the 992 and was near pulling the trigger, but no matter how hard I try to love that car, it just doesn’t sing to me. It’s become too GT and lost so much character over the 991.

The 981/718 chassis IMO is the best most focused Porsche in modern times and once you drive a 981 you’ll see what I mean.

Good luck on your hunt!

toma nova

PSE is not required, lots of aftermarket options available (including actually adding PSE).

PASM is personal. Base with 19s is great on the street and track (for me). You can easily add X73 for a bit lower and much tighter ride (mechanical). PASM gives more electronic range - if you're putting on lots of miles in varying conditions, it might be nice to have Comfort for street and highway (with 20s) and Sport for track or twisties.

20s look great but are easily replaced with 19s if you find them too harsh.

I would focus on 6MT and Sport Chrono then adjust the tires and exhaust after you figure out what works best.

absoluteczech

On a manual car I would strongly disagree. On a PDK equipped car definitely worth getting sport chrono.

Fronttrunk

Thanks for the input so far! Looking at lower mileage vehicles and these seem to have a reliable reputation. That being the case is the CPO worth the premium? CPO also reduces the pool of vehicles significantly

toma nova

My Boxster was my first Porsche and I was concerned about the horror stories of expensive repairs, so I bought CPO. In 5.5 years and 23k miles, the car has been to the dealer 0 times, an independent Porsche mechanic once (for a repair of my own making), and needed nothing but oil changes, cabin and air filters, plugs and coils, and rotors and pads, which I do in my garage on my own schedule with my beverage of choice nearby.

I did need to buy a new jack, then LiftBars, then a Quick Jack, a few new sockets, and a couple other tools, but that’s just a bonus for knowing that the jobs were done right.

So, CPO if you are risk adverse, or set $3k aside for possible repairs (about the cost of CPO).

Tom

KBell

Similar to soma nova,

In 5 years of CPO, my car went in only one time.
For a squeak.
I liked having a CPO; but, these cars are pretty reliable.

Schroedinger

My car came with the standard exhaust and I upgraded to PSE. While it sounded great, I actually like the base exhaust a lot better for day to day driving. PSE was pretty loud/droney on the highway. I think for a manual car sport chrono is unneccesary. Even on my PDK car the only time I ever used it was on the track.

Jason C

I didn’t think I wanted SC on a manual car but I ended up getting a car with SC. I actually grown to like the auto downshift rev match. I normally like to heel toe during normal driving so I turned off auto rev match by not pressing the sports plus button. However, on the more technical twisties, it was nice to have auto rev match and it’s nice to not have to worry about heel toeing.

Fullyield

Buying CPO protects you from buying that used Porsche with a known and current mechanical issue. You have two years to make sure the car is as represented when sold and, if not, to get the issue fixed for free by Porsche dealer. The alternative is buying a used car “AS IS” and putting up additional funds up immediately for a Fidelity Platinum warranty. CPO protects against the catastrophic engine or transmission failure which is about $25k in these cars, and gives you two additional years to price and make a decision on an extended warranty.

thecajunboy

I have a Cayman base, PSE, Sport Chrono, PASM, PTV, 6MT. Bought at 3 years old (2015 model) with CPO, 21K miles.

CPO - I wasn't necessarily shopping for CPO, but this car popped up and I jumped on it without even thinking. The idea of a warranty on a used car with some original warranty still in play seemed like a great idea. I did not even worry about cost because the total price was within my budget limits. In the three years I've owned it I've added an additional 11K miles. It's been in for warranty service twice. First time was for auto headlight function which took several days for them to figure out with the end result being a faulty body control module. Second case was for a failed PADM (Porsche Active Drivetrain Mount) and a sagging headliner. I'm pretty sure my CPO paid for itself. I would rather have not had those issues though. the peace of mind was very much worth it for me.

PSE - You can add it later or install one of the other performance systems. I run mine open all the time and I don't hear the drone that some people complain about. It's there if you look for it, but with 6MT you can select another gear. It is a non-issue for me.

Sport Chrono - If I had never driven one with this, it might not be so bad, but if I ever look for another I'd probably have this on my must have list. I drive with it on all the time. The rev matching is really nice. Don't bring the heel and toe argument because at moderate and light braking the pedal positions aren't well suited for H&T. The dash mounted clock is really nice to look at, but that's about it. It's other functions don't get any use. Sport Chrono brings with it the PADM feature. Do some Google or forum searched for PADM Failure and you'll understand what this means. I failed one under warranty. Last week I failed the opposite side and warranty is expired. the part is ~$1300 US. Now I get to worry if they fail once, can they fail again? This leaves me contemplating a swap to fixed mounts and a solution to the error message at every startup, and potential issues with sale price somewhere down the road. The only complaint I have is that the pops and gurgles that come with this seems overdone. I'd like to tone it down a bit.

PASM - Since I drive in SC mode all the time the suspension is always in the sport mode. I've toggled it on and off on a variety of road surfaces and the difference is negligible for normal cruising. It's tough to compare under hard cornering. I could live without this option as it seems to bring little value while limiting choices for fiddling with the suspension. I'd much prefer X73 or some other approach to lowered ride height or improved suspension.

PTV - Most people including myself could easily pass this one up. for non-spirited driving there would be absolutely no need for this.

Wheels - Mine came with 19s and I've added a set of 20s. There is a difference with the 20s being slightly rougher, but if you complain about this, maybe you're in the wrong car because you should also be complaining about the 19s. That's my take.

Fronttrunk

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in. Truly the best way to get info is from you who own them. Cheers

bigmoguls

I required PASM and SC on by Cayman S, but it REALLY reduces the number of suitable vehicles. Only 30% of 981 are manual to begin with, so you are limited from the get go. If you aren't tracking the car, then I say you can do without SC and PASM. As others have stated PSE can be added later if desired. I think the piece that impacts driving comfort the most is the tire aspect ratio. I have 40 series daily driver tires and 35 series track tires, the 35s are noticeably less comfortable. Are they TOO uncomfortable, no, but I can tell the difference.

TEF

I am currently looking at a 2013 BS manual, but two things are nagging me: it has 85K miles and 20" wheels and tires. I will drive the car only six months/year and usually on secondary roads, so I have no pressing need for sports exhaust or PASM. Currently, I have a near-perfect 987.1 BS with 18" wheels and OE exhaust that handles the local imperfect roads really well. The mention of harsh-riding 20" wheels (above) is worrying. It appears that some 981 Boxster S have "smaller" 19" wheels, but would the easier solution be to install (if they fit) a set of 18" wheels from the 987 series?

As for the car having 85K miles, should that be the larger concern? My worries here are engine related problems, such as oil consumption and/or other serious engine failure. By owning a 987.1, there is the tedious issues of IMS failure and bore scoring. What baggage does the 981 series carry relative to engine problems? Any advice on this is appreciated, thanks.

bigmoguls

I think the 18" 987 wheels would fit, just understand that the tire sizes for 981 are different than for 987. I think the diameter of 981 wheels is larger. A 981 w/ 18" wheels would wear 235/45/18 tires on front and 265/45/18 on the rear. I have a set of 19" track wheels from the 987 generation on my 981.

I wouldn't consider the 20" wheels a deal breaker as those are easily changed, for a price. But many folks covet the 20" wheels so I would be certain you could make a straight trade of your 20" wheels for someone else's 19" wheels.